Blessing of the hops prayer at Hogs Back Brewery from clapping walk Watch Video

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✓ Published: 14-May-2024

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Hogs Back Brewery blesses hop garden, continues ‘beating the bounds' tradition<br/><br/>Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery recently held its annual Hop Blessing at its brewery and hop garden in Tongham. Around 100 people gathered in the evening sunshine to enjoy the ceremony and the ‘beating the bounds' walk, back as part of the event for a second year.<br/><br/>The Hop Blessing took place on Ascension Day (9 May), the day on which crop blessings were traditionally held for centuries. Rev. Claire Holt, of St Paul's Church in Tongham, blessed the crops and, with Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson, led guests on the walk around the 8.5-acre hop garden.<br/><br/>Blessing of crops was observed in rural communities in a bid to encourage a bountiful harvest.Hogs Back revived the tradition in 2014 when they planted their original hop garden over the road from the brewery and continued it when they relocated to the current, larger site.Currently, the 6,000 hop plants in the Hogs Back garden are climbing up strings, spurred by the recent rainfall, and the brewery is hoping for an ample crop to harvest in late August. <br/><br/>Beating the bounds similarly took place around Ascension Day, when the priest would lead a group around the parish boundaries, as a way of instilling this vital information: your parish dictated how much tax you paid, and where you could be buried, for example.The ‘beating the bounds' name may have its origins in a tradition of beating children's heads at each of the boundary stones to drive home the information - a part of the custom that Hogs Back is not observing!<br/><br/>Rev. Holt said: \